Broken
by reignofhavok
Summary: Havok comes upon a beatup Icarus in the woods.


Notes: Inspired by events in New X-Men #20, and warped for my own fangirly needs. This was just going to be a drabble, but ended up a little longer. So, here it is.

Disclaimers: Sadly I don't own any of them. If I did, there would be more lovin' on panel.

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The woods surrounding the Xavier Institute were covered in darkness, and the mansion was surprisingly quiet for such an early hour in the morning. The sun had yet to rise, but that usually didn't matter. The Institute was always a haven of activity. X-Men running around, students trying to sneak into each other's rooms, people making snacks at all hours of the night.

Yet tonight it was quiet. For that Alex Summers was thankful.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets he strolled through the woods, kicking the occasional stone and branch out of his way. It was such a cold night. But there were still at least a few more hours left before daybreak, more than enough to clear his mind of recent events.

A nearby sound caught Alex's attention. Stopping in his tracks, he turned and headed towards it, removing his hands from his jacket... just in case. He could feel them burning already, itching to fight.

"Alex? ... Is that..." a young man stumbled through the trees in front of him, a look of utter relief washing over his bruished, bloodied face. "Thank god..." he muttered, passing out and hitting the ground with a dull thud. Alex's eyes went wide and he ran forward, jumping over a tree log and grabbing the young man by the shoulders. He turned him over slightly.

"Oh no... no no no no!" he began to frantically mutter, the feeling of a dagger being driven through his heart spreading throughout his entire body. "Jay! Jay!" He slightly shook the younger man, but it was no use. He was out cold.

Alex recoiled in horror at the sight before him. Jay was shirtless in the freezing cold, only bandages covering most of his upper torso, drenched in blood. But worst of all, and it broke Alex's heart to see it, his wings had been cut off, there was nothing but bloody stumps left. Who could do such a callous thing? And why?

"Jay, Jay!" he screamed again, tears beginning to prick his eyes. "Come on Jay, wake up! Don't do this!"

Alex lifted the young man up, resting him against his own body. He looked around frantically, hoping and praying the perpetrator was still around somewhere. He'd more than like to get his own payback.

He cupped Jay' cheek, wiping angrily at the tears that threatened to spill onto his face. His pulse was weak, and he was losing more and more blood. Why wasn't his healing factor kicking in? Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Alex stood up, lifting Jay into his arms. The boy was much lighter now, although that was hardly a comfort. He fired a blast through the trees, clearing a quicker path back to the mansion. He took off at a sprint, and it didn't take him long to reach it; years of intense training combined with his pumping adrenaline helped him clear the distance in seconds. He kicked open the back door and screamed.

"Someone! Help!"

Various students turned to see what the commotion was about, terror covering their faces once they saw the bloody young man in Alex's arms. He brushed roughly past them, still screaming for someone, anyone to come help him.

"What going on?" Scott rounded the corner to see what all the commotion was about, pulling a shirt over his head. His mouth dropped at the sight before him and he quickly ran to his younger brother, Emma not far behind him. "Alex, what happened!"

Alex was still panting, shaking his head as tears dropped from his eyes. "I don't... I don't know! Someone has to help him! Now!" The fear in his eyes was heartbreaking. Scott turned to his girlfriend.

"Emma..."

"I'm on it," she replied before he could finish. "Come on Alex, this way, quickly," she lead the way to the infirmary, pushing through the gathering students and teachers who had come to see what all the fuss was about. Beast was already there by the time they arrived.

"Oh my," he muttered at the sight. "Quickly, put him down here."

Alex ran over and gently placed Jay on the table, brushing back the hair from his forehead. Scott grabbed him, pulling him back gently, then more forcefully as he wouldn't move. "Come on Alex, we need to leave them alone now."

Alex resisted, but Scott's grip was too strong. "Come on Alex! Look at you! You're covered in blood, and the children are scared enough already. Jay will be fine now, but we need to get you cleaned up."

Slowly dropping his resistance, Alex dropped to the ground, a choked sob escaping his lips. Scott leant down, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Alex looked up at him, that same fear and pain still in his eyes. "Who could do such a thing, Scott? Who!"

Scott squeezed his shoulder, his face stern as ever. "We'll find out Alex. Count on it. But come on, let's go. You can come back and check on him later."

He helped his brother up and led him towards the door. Alex stopped, taking one last look at the broken, bloodied body lying on the table. Clenching his jaw, he strode out of the room. He would find whoever did this to Jay. He would make them pay.


End file.
